


Wine Red

by HeereandThere



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Bullying, Character Death, Guns, Heathers - Freeform, Heathers AU, I Take Creative Liberties So It's Not a Carbon Copy of Heathers, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Murder, Non-Graphic Violence, Suicide Notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 20:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16102763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeereandThere/pseuds/HeereandThere
Summary: Jeremy doesn't like his new friends.The squip insists that they do him well and they're necessary not only for his rise in popularity but also to win over Christine, but the more he's around them, the less he's sure. They bully his old friend, they turn on him because of the slightest mistakes, and they're just generally terrible people.But after an incident at Jake's Halloween party that threatens to obliterate Jeremy's reputation, his problems go from menial to life and death and there seems to be no escape from the Hell he's built for himself. Until the squip comes up with a foolproof revenge plan.The only problem is, it seems to believe the price for messing with Jeremy Heere is death.





	Wine Red

_**Incoming.** _

_Wha- Oh._

Jeremy glanced up from his seat on one of Middle Borough's many busy stairwells to see that he had been abruptly cornered by two familiar faces: Brooke, who was as sweetly collected as always, and Jenna, who was having extreme difficulty keeping a smile off of her face. "Hey, guys."

"Chloe's looking for you," Brooke chimed.

_**Be polite.** _

Jeremy huffed quietly and equipped a pleasant smile as he exchanged the "Oh, god, what now?" he had WANTED to say for a more innocent "What is it?" Now that his words carried so much more weight, he had to be cautious with how he articulated his statements, even if it meant burying his disdain altogether.

"You'll have to find out~!" Jenna singsonged. "I think you're gonna like what she's got in store."

_Will I?_

_**There is a 23.816% chance that you'll find satisfaction in Chloe's plan.** _

_I don't like those odds._

_**Maybe so, but there is a 98.79% chance that your relationship with those higher up in the social hierarchy will be negatively affected if you choose not to go through with it.** _

_I like those odds even less._

_**In that case, she's anticipating your arrival in the cafeteria.** _

Brooke lightly nudged Jeremy with her foot with a smile stunning enough to be envied. "Come on, Jeremy! You don't wanna keep the queen bee waiting, do you?"

"Guess not."

"Great!" Jeremy an odd noise in surprise as his arm was taken by Brooke and she dragged him into the heavily populated school hallways. The slim paths were occupied by nearly every teenage stereotype known to man: you had your jocks, your cheerleaders, your goths, your geeks, your freaks, your wallflowers, your losers, your loners, your stoners... All of them making a mad dash for the lunchroom. This was why Jeremy normally retreated to the library once he had his tray in hand; there were just too many people, too many voices, too many eyes judging him for comfort in the cafeteria. But there was no way his new friends were going to allow him to hole himself up in the vast library shelves just because he was afraid of a little socialization.

Jeremy swallowed the uneasy feeling rising in his chest as he and he others forced their way through the crowd and into the lunchroom's hustle and bustle. From across the room, Chloe perked up at the table that had been designated as hers and her friends', and she excitedly waved them over.

"Great! You found him!" Chloe clapped her hands together excitedly, a look of genuine glee painted on her face. She grabbed Jeremy by both sides of his face to get his attention as the trio strode forth, which drew yet another yelp from his mouth. "I need you to do me a huge favor."

Before any questions could be asked, Chloe answered them as she fished in her nearby backpack for something, eventually revealing two pieces of paper, one crinkled and one still pristine, one blank and one with almost illegible writing on it.

"I need you to write a sexy, passionate, but still lowkey, love letter in Rich's handwriting addressed to Michael Mell." There was a hint of sadistic glee in her voice and her eyes traveled for the front of the lunch line, where Michael was waiting patiently as he subconsciously bobbed his head to the beat of the music in his headphones.

While Jenna and Chloe seemed enthused, Brooke was slightly hesitant and Jeremy was outright mortified by the idea. Given, his relationship with Michael was strained since he had gotten his squip to say the least, but something felt despicable about targeting him for a joke that would be remarkably unfunny to anyone with an intelligent sense of humor. It was despicable to harass anyone, but Jeremy felt like he owed some degree of invincibility to his friend, even if the voice in his head prompted him to write the note, which it did.

_**Every second you hesitate, Chloe gets increasingly agitated with your lack of resolve. I would suggest you accept her proposal. Michael will recover, but I fear that your reputation won't.** _

Jeremy shook his head frantically, but verbally addressed Chloe rather than the squip. "Look, I don't have anything against Michael."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Come on! He's not gonna die from one little prank. And Rich'll think it's hilarious.

"I know, I just think-"

"Don't think. Just do." Chloe thrusted the papers and a pencil into his hand, preventing any further protests. Jeremy stuttered a bit in an attempt to break through the communication barrier she had put up, but was cut off again by his inner voice.

_**Your association with Michael ceased when you decided to take the upgrade. These girls- along with numerous others- are your new companions, and you need to appease them. Besides, it's not as though you're dousing him in pig's blood. You're forging a letter that's clearly fake and allegedly from someone he isn't even interested in. We're not exactly ruining lives.** _

Jeremy took a deep breath and performed the mental equivalent of a curt nod as he voluntarily took the items Chloe had handed him, hurriedly scanning over the paper with the writing on it and committing a few writing habits to memory. Chloe hummed in satisfaction as he uncomfortably leaned over the table and mimicked the scrawl to the best of his forging abilities. All three pairs of eyes were peering over his shoulder to get a sneak peek at what was being written; a fourth joined in, but only Jeremy was affected by the stone cold gaze it cast towards him and him alone. Occasionally, the squip would provide input and guide his hand across the paper but, for the most part, the note was a product of both the malicious and hopelessly romantic sides of him.

"Perfect!" Chloe chirped, and she took the note from Jeremy's hand once "Rich Goranski" had been sloppily signed by someone who was not, in fact, of that name. She folded it as neatly as possible and passed it to Brooke, who was quick to fuse with the crowd and become one with, well, everyone, just like she did throughout her average day. Still, Jeremy was able to track her vibrant clothes and flowing blonde hair as she darted through various groups of students with purpose before slipping behind the antisocial headphones kid, sliding her arm under his, and dropping the paper on his tray while he remained none the wiser.

_**Well done.** _

_Sure._

Jenna lightly tapped Jeremy on the shoulder and glanced at him sideways with eyes that made her seem innocent enough. "When do you think he'll notice?"

Jeremy knew Michael was oblivious was hell and there was a slight chance he would never realize that the letter was there, but there was a sinking feeling wreaking havoc on his wellness that prevented him from providing a polite or even really legitimate answer.

"I don't know," he settled on dejectedly, crossing his arms as some sort of defense mechanism. Jenna and Brooke exchanged odd looks, but Chloe exasperatedly rolled her eyes and roughly took Jeremy by the arm before dragging him over to a corner of the cafeteria that, surprisingly, had remained unoccupied.

"What's your problem?" she demanded of him, previous joy gone. "I thought you were cool."

"I am!" Jeremy insisted. "I just..."

_**Say you've had a rough day. Don't elaborate.** _

"Today's been kind of rough and I guess I'm off my game."

Chloe looked him over a few times, possibly for a tell that he was lying, but eventually allowed her expression to soften while still retaining some level of malice. "... Okay. Just don't make it a normal thing. I'm gonna be less than impressed if you show up at Jake's tonight all depressed." She smiled slightly, but emphasized her point by jabbing at his chest with one finger. The gesture took Jeremy by surprise and, as Chloe reunited with her other friends, he had to step back to avoid losing his balance.

Upon regaining his physical composure, Jeremy leaned against a nearby wall and relished in the surface's coolness through the back of his shirt. He scratched at the various imperfections on his arm absentmindedly and stared at the floor for the most part, only occasionally glancing sideways at the losers who were SUPPOSED to be isolated from the school's miniature society. He mentally acknowledged that he didn't have the right to pity himself for being a jerk; he seemed to only recall he had options when it was too late, when he had already let Chloe and the squip convince him to make the decision. But, then again, there were repurcussions to his actions that he preferred to avoid, so was he really given a choice?

Jeremy continued the moral battle in his head while the squip eyed him carefully and listened in to every word, yet chimed in not for several minutes. Even when it did make its presence known, it used, once again, a stern intonation:n

_**Incoming.** _

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Who the fu-" The final word caught in his throat once his gaze settled on the adorably familiar face that made his heart kind of flutter. "Oh! Hi, Chri-"

"Where were you last night?" Christine didn't look happy; her arms were crossed and her face was scrunched up into an upset look that made her look remarkably like a sad puppy.

_Shit. Did I miss something?_

_**First day of tech week for the play. You were socializing with Richard.** _

_Shit!_

_**No worries. You know very well that things will go perfectly with me.** _

_Yeah, but Christine-_

_**Just tell her that your father needed you at the house.** _

"My, uh... My dad needed me home after school. Housecleaning duty."

"Really?" Christine raised a brow, clearly skeptical. Jeremy swallowed hard and nodded frantically. "I wish I could believe you."

"What?"

_**Uh-oh.** _

"You've missed almost every rehearsal since early September! That's almost two months, Jeremy! I think the only reason Mr. Reyes hasn't kicked you out of the play is because he forgot you're in it. I mean, I know it's just a school production and it's not like it's going to make or break anyone's acting career, but it's still really important to some people and it's infuriating when not everyone contributes. I get if you can't make a few practices, but two months? That's insane, even for someone popular like you-"

Jeremy tried to cling onto every word, he really did, but the uproarious laughter across the cafeteria was too much to ignore. The calamitous noise was emanating from the table that normally house the jocks; Jake spearheaded the group, a wide grin on his face as he buried it in his hands and snickered at the expense of another. Rich was right by his side with a piece of paper clenched in his hand while he howled, sputtered, and gasped for air.

Jeremy just barely caught the flash of red as the joke's victim shoved his way out of the cafeteria.

"Jerks," Christine remarked; her expression was more sorrowful now, and there was a hint of disgust in her voice. Jeremy, however, felt his stomach tie itself into knots, though suppressed the sensation. It felt as though Christine was berrating him which, technically, she was, however unintentionally. "Why can't people just be nice you each other?"

_Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's really hard._

"Yeah, people suck."

Long silence.

_**Apologize for missing your rehearsals.** _

Jeremy hesitated for a moment, but forced himself to turn back to the girl next to him and inhaled slowly. He wasn't about to play coy; he was genuinely becoming overwhelmed. "Look, I'm really sorry I haven't been at play rehearsal. I've just been super busy with other things- personal- and I haven't had the time to come to really long practices."

"Then why didn't you quit?"

_**Try flattery.** _

"Well, even though I couldn't make it to rehearsals, I still thought it'd be somethig fun to do, you know? Performing's great, and I think it'd be even better to do it with you."

_**Offer a compromise! Go in for the kill!** _

"And I know all of my lines and I can learn all of my cues quickly! I PROMISE I'll be there next time, and I'll have it all memorized by the end. If not, you can do whatever you want to me as payback."

Christine's arms were crossed once more, though her demeanor was a bit more upbeat and nonchalant. "I don't want to torture you, Jeremy... But deal. And you don't HAVE to know everything by tomorrow. Just try."

_**Insist.** _

"Nope. Everything."

"... Fine. But don't say I never gave you an out!" They exchanged a firm handshake like businessmen and Jeremy internally melted at the contact. "And, look, if you're ever having problems or you need someone to talk to, I'm right here." She brushed his arm tenderly before bounding off into the crowd. "Happy Halloween! See you at practice tomorrow! Or else!" She offered a spooky little wave and disappeared, and there went his heart again, wrenching in romantic desperation.

_**I'd say that went quite well. There were several possible outcomes where that conversation went horribly wrong. You're learning.** _

_Thanks for the vote of confidence._

"Hey?"

The sudden speech spooked Jeremy, and he jumped a little in fright, thankful that he didn't instinctively shriek. He whirled around and was immediately met with Jake towering over him; even when he didn't mean to be intimidating, he was because of his stature and muscle mass, but Jeremy had the inkling that the ominous feeling coursing through his veins was intentionally there. The sportier boy was standing taller than normal and, though he was very clearly making an attempt at a friendly face, his brow was furrowed in a deeply concerned manner. "Uh... Yeah?"

"I'm not trying to assume anything, because it's totally cool for guys and girls to be friends or whatever, but I just saw you talking to Christine and I was wondering if there's anything going on there?"

"What?!" Jeremy's voice cracked and he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, but the next few seconds made his blood run cold.

"Because I was kind of trying to win her over and... it's gonna be a problem if you're trying to, too."

_**WARNING!** _

_**WARNING!** _


End file.
